Kelsey Austin

Its always exciting to come across guitar builders or brands that you haven’t heard of before. I was just perusing google today and stumbled upon Cort Guitars. The name sounded familiar, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen a Cort Guitar in person. It seems Cort Guitars are gaining in popularity, and its easy to understand why. One look at their guitar models page and you’ll be wondering why you haven’t already bought one. They build both acoustic and electric guitars, and the shear amount of models they offer is staggering. It seems like they’ve covered most of the major body styles and configurations offered by all the best guitar brands. Most brands specialize in a few main body styles. Fender has the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Gibson has the Les Paul. Ibanez has the RG. PRS has it’s Custom 24. G&L has the ASAT. You get my point. At first glance, it seems like Cort has picked the best models these brands have to offer, and manufactured their own take. Its a bold move, but the results speak for themselves. Personally, I gravitated straight to their take on the Telecaster. Its part of the Manson Stage Series. Cort partnered with famous builder Hugh Manson. Here is a quote from Cort’s website. “Hugh Manson has been making custom guitars for over 30 years and has earned an enviable reputation within the music industry for innovation and quality, making electric guitars for some of the world’s best known rock & roll superstars, including John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin and Matt Bellamy from Muse. We are pleased to announce the 2017 collaboration project with Manson Guitar Works two new electric guitar models, M-Jet and Classic TC.” They have a classic model called the “Classic TC” and a “Modern Player” style model called the “M-Jet”. It’s body shape screams Telecaster no doubt, but you know right away that its not a Fender. It might be just a little bit cooler than a Fender. The reviews are fantastic and the build quality is obviously top notch. The classic TC can be found for $499 which means you are getting a lot of guitar for your money. The Cort MBC is a little hard to find to be honest. If you are in the market for a new axe you may want to check out Cort Guitars. They have been around for fifty years and they make a solid affordable guitar. They have acoustics, electrics, extended range….you name it. Some of the more popular models are: * Cort X500 *Cort G280DX JSS *Cort CR250 VB *Cort Yorktown-BV *Cort M200BK M Series Sincerely, The Axe Dr.

So Fender.com posted a press release. It is the official announcement concerning Fender Musical Instruments Corp (FMIC) buying out the Bigsby brand. Bigsby has been a big name in the Guitar business for decades. They are renowned for their Bigsby Vibrato. The Bigsby Vibrato System has been considered an upgrade for any guitar lucky enough to have it. I recently restored a Bigsby equipped Gretsch guitar that needed a lot of TLC. Without that Bigsby, the guitar would not have been worth restoring. It was only after I finished the restoration that I truly appreciated the timeless quality of the Bigsby Vibrato. It is truly the perfect combination of guitar style and guitar functionality. In fact that bigsby grew on me so much that I’m now quite a big fan. I’m even considering adding one to my G&L ASAT. You can expect to pay $100 or more for the Bigsby upgrade, and thats if you are going to install the upgrade yourself. Even the knockoffs are expensive these days. That should tell you something about the quality products behind the Bigsby name. Here is what Fender had to say in Fender’s Official Press Release: “We are excited to acquire Bigsby® and add to our esteemed portfolio of specialty brands.” said Jeff Cary, Senior Vice President of FMIC Specialty Brands. “There is such a rich history with the vibratos, and a mystique around the guitars, pedals and steel instruments that is fascinating. Fred and Dinah Gretsch have been wonderful owners and we look forward to working with them to ensure a smooth transition.” It seems like the companies are happy with the arrangement. Here is what Fred Gretsch had to say from Fender’s Official Press Release: “Paul Bigsby, Ted McCarty, Dinah and Fred Gretsch and Fender Musical Instruments Corp. all have one thing in common, an unquestioning dedication to product excellence over the long haul,” said Fred Gretsch. “We congratulate team Fender on this strategic acquisition.” For more information check out the official press release from Fender: Fender’s Press Release Sincerely, The Axe Dr.

This is the workhorse of my rig. For quite a while I used it with the 4 Cable Method into my Fender Rock Pro 1000 100 watt and 4×12 Speaker Cab. It worked well, and it did its job. The downside was that it was LOUD. It was hard to tame that beast. Thats when I decided to try the direct out to a powered monitor method.